October 8
by Alyson Tierney
Summary: Rory begins her 21st birthday feeling as low as ever. An hour later, she is as happy as ever. If you know me, you know why.
1. No Means for Celebration

October 8

By: Alyson Tierney

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, Lorelai, Rory, Lane, Logan, or any other related characters or things. They all belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB network. The ending dialogue is paraphrased from the episode "Rory's Birthday Parties," so I don't own that, either. Please no suing, because I already am in debt. Thanks!

Author's Note: This is a short one-shot, two chapter story that was written in honor of today—Rory's 21st birthday. All episodes to date are taken into account.

Chapter One

Rory was staring at the ceiling. The room was dark, the television turned off somewhere around 2 am. 2 am on October 8, 2005. She was officially 21 years old. Well, technically she wasn't 21 for another hour, she realized, as she looked at the clock. It was just past three in the morning, and she was born at exactly 4:03 am. She blinked back tears as she realized what would not be happening this year at 4:03 am. For as long as she could remember, her mom had come into her room and woken her up every year at that exact time. This year, however, she doubted that would happen. She hadn't spoken to her mother in weeks, since the debacle at the baby shower. They hadn't been civil since May. May. Five months ago. That was the longest she'd ever gone without speaking to her mom like they always used to. Playful, witty banter lost to furious and stubborn tempers. Rory's life was not complete without her mother, and she realized that now, too late.

Logan and Lane had showered her with gifts earlier in the day at the party her grandparents had thrown for her. As usual, they invited people that Rory hardly knew. She'd made sure Logan and Lane were there, and they were the only things that kept her from hiding in the pool house for the entire party. Sure, the party was supposed to be for her, but she didn't feel like celebrating. She didn't feel happy. A part of her had hoped Lorelai would somehow find out about the party and come and celebrate with them. She had glanced at the entrance every five seconds or so, hoping with all her might that her mom would come, but nothing happened.

After the party had finally ended around eleven, Rory had come to the pool house and spent the rest of the night alone and feeling more and more depressed by the minute. She was half ready to take a sort of sleeping aid and just sleep through her entire birthday.

Finally, she stumbled out of bed to take a nice, warm shower to relax herself. As the water streaked in shiny rivets down her face and chest, she let herself break down into sobs. She wasn't herself anymore, and she knew it. It wasn't her to quit Yale, throw away her future and her relationship with her mother, and join the DAR. The problem was she didn't know what was her anymore.

She turned the water off and hurried back to her room. It was almost four now, and she could feel her eyes getting heavy. Finally she was actually tired, and hoped she'd sleep for a long time now. Crawling under the cool sheets, she watched as the clock changed from 3:52 to 3:53. She was going to be 21 in ten minutes now, and it was already shaping up to be the worst day of her life.

Letting herself drift off into dreamland, she thought she saw the form of her mom walking into the room. Smiling, she let herself be drawn into the land of dreams, where no one was fighting, no one was mad, and no one's lives were going down the tubes.

Lorelai tiptoed into the familiar room. She'd practically lived out in the pool house in her middle school years, wanting to be as far away from her controlling parents as possible. Smiling, she watched as her daughter's breathing evened out, and knew she had just fallen asleep. Torn between waking her up, or just lying down beside her, Lorelai simply sat on the bed, reaching out to trace her daughter's delicate features. She realized now how much Rory resembled her, in both looks and personality. It was no wonder they fought all the time.


	2. Birthday Memories

Chapter Two

Rory shifted a little in her sleep and let out a small breath, before her face broke into a small grin, "You came."

"Of course I did." Lorelai said, softly, not realizing Rory was still dreaming.

"I don't wanna wake up." Rory mumbled, and Lorelai felt her heart sag a little.

"But if you don't, I can't give you your present." Lorelai said.

"A present?" Rory said, sounding intrigued.

"Yeaaaaah." Lorelai grinned, drawing out her voice for emphasis, "It is 4:03 am on your birthday."

"If I open my eyes, are you going to be there?" Rory asked, sounding uncertain.

"There's a 199.94 chance." Lorelai smiled down at her sleepy daughter.

Soft blue eyes fluttered open, and a hand reached up to smooth her wet hair back, and Rory's face broke into a sleepy smile, "Hi."

"Happy Birthday." Lorelai said simply.

"I didn't think you'd come." Rory said, as she sat up slightly, and moved pillows so she was propped up.

Lorelai moved so she was sitting next to her daughter, and put a pillow under her head, "It's your birthday. Of course I did."

Rory smiled, and then her face looked solemn, "I'm sorry."

Lorelai nodded, "I know you are. Let's just celebrate today, okay? We'll talk later."

Rory smile grew, "Okay." Lorelai handed Rory a small package. It was rectangular in shape, and wrapped in blue and green sparkly paper, tied with multicolored ribbons, "Wow, pretty. Did you wrap this?"

Lorelai nodded, "I did. I thought the blue matched our eyes."

Rory moved the box to her ear and shook it. No sound emanated from the interior, but she felt the familiar shape of a book, "Which book is it this time?" Rory asked, wondering if something she'd ordered from Amazon had arrived after she'd left her house.

Lorelai's face stayed void of expression, "One that you've never read before."

Rory began carefully taking off the ribbon and opening the paper slowly, "I still have plenty of books in the world to read, we all know that." After the package was opened, she realized that it was not a book in her hands, but a journal. Decorated with small colorful handprints and a picture insert in the middle, the wire-bound notebook was clearly not brand new. Rory recognized the picture in the middle of her and her mother way back when Rory had been four years old. Mia had taken the picture of Lorelai and Rory sitting in a large chair, a book spread over their laps.

"I've always loved that picture." Lorelai said, running her fingers over it, "It's just you all the way, reading and sitting with Mommy."

Rory opened the small journal to realize that it was, indeed, old. As she read the date inscribed on the first page, it was 20 years old, to be exact, "October 8, 1985." She began reading the entry, which was in her mom's handwriting, still the same now as it was 20 years before,

"_Lorelai Leigh Gilmore,_

_You are one year old today! Happy Birthday, sweet girl. Everyone is always saying how fast children grow up, so I have decided to make this little book for you, to give to you when you get older. I hope "older" never comes, but then again when you are older, you'll be someone to talk to in more than just one-word sentences. You and I have quite an adventure ahead of us, seeing as I'm planning to leave Grandma and Grandpa's house soon. They dote on you, and are wonderful, but it's almost time for us to move on. You continue to amaze me little Lorelai Leigh, as you babble, smile, crawl like an energizer bunny, and giggle at my jokes. I love you, darling, happy first birthday._

_Love, Mama"_

Rory flipped through the book, and realized that the date on the entries stayed the same, but the years changed. She looked up at her mom, eyes glistening with happy tears, "You did this every year."

Lorelai nodded, "I wanted a way to write down memories, so I could preserve them with words as well as pictures."

"I love it. Thank you." Rory reached for her mom, and let herself be enveloped into a hug.

"Read the last entry." Lorelai said, flipping the pages to the entry dated that very day.

Rory looked down and realized there were only five sentences written on the page. Five little sentences that said all they needed to say, _"I'm so sorry, honey. I love you, and I am so proud of you. Whatever you do is fine with me as long as you're happy. I learned in the past 21 years that what is most important is to stand by your loved ones and not judge or control them. Whatever you need and want, I'll help you. Love, Mom."_

Rory looked up at her mother again, and realized Lorelai's eyes were shiny with tears. Lorelai rarely ever cried in front of her daughter, but she was now. Rory pulled her mom into a hug, and they both held each other like a lifeline. As they pulled away, Lorelai looked her daughter in the eye, "How's your birthday now?"

"It's getting better." Rory admitted, "Much better. I think the storm cloud has passed."

"How does it feel to be 21?" Lorelai asked, as both women shifted down in the bed so they were lying next to each other, looking at the ceiling.

"No different than being 20." Rory shrugged, "I thought it would be different."

"After awhile, it doesn't feel different anymore." Lorelai chuckled, "Wow, I can't believe you're 21. So it was 21 years ago now that I was lying in this exact position, except I had a huge, fat stomach, and big, fat ankles, and was swearing like a sailor."

Rory rolled her eyes, "A sailor on leave." She interjected, knowing this story by heart now.

"And while some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me it was something more akin to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite…"

"I love you, Mom."

"And I was screaming and swearing, and being surrounded by a hundred doctors, I just assumed there was a really good use for the cup of ice chips they gave me."

"But, there wasn't."

"But pelting the nurses every time they came in or messed with a gadget or checked my cervix was really fun."

"I love you, Mom." Rory repeated, snuggling closer, wanting the warm familial contact.

"Shh, you'll miss the part where he sees your head. So, there I was lying in a huge amount of pain, and the doctor checks me, and tells me he sees a head of dark hair…" Lorelai continued the familiar story, and Rory let herself be drawn to sleep listening to her mother's voice. They'd talk tomorrow, but now Lorelai really wanted Rory to have a great birthday.


End file.
